Certain Antibiotics May Reduce the Efficacy of Certain ICIs in Cancer Patients
Source: Cancer Therapy Advisor, March 2023
A new study suggests that antibiotics may reduce the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in older patients with cancer, but this depends on the type of cancer, antibiotic, and ICI in question.
The study showed that exposure to fluoroquinolones before starting ICI therapy was associated with worse overall survival (OS), but there was no such association for penicillin or cephalosporin exposure.
Fluoroquinolone exposure was associated with worse OS in patients treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab but not in those who received ipilimumab. And fluoroquinolone exposure was associated with worse OS in patients with lung cancer or melanoma but not those with renal cancer.